Channel Islands Excursion

We drive out from the Regal Edward Theatre parking lot just as the sun is rising this morning. We're on our way to the Ventura Marina, and the road we take runs through farm fields mounded high with strawberry plants - I spot a few farm stands, and make a mental note that we need to stop on our way back tonight...

We park at Island Packers, the official transport to Channel Islands National Park. As per usual, we settle in for breakfast at the "trailhead" while we wait for the office to open.

Channel Islands is a park that is not accessible other than by boat, and with only 2 ferries per day in the winter, we will be sharing the hiking trails with a grand total of 300 people. That's quiet for you. So we pack our bags with a few extra things to keep us comfortable on the island, and away we go!

The crossing in the channel is fairly smooth - a little splashy, but relatively relaxed compared to some of the Guadeloupe crossings we've experienced.

 Once on Santa Cruz island, we find a small National Park settlement where the old sheep ranch once stood, and then we go in search of the cliffs above the central valley, where there is so much stuff to see: amazing views, new and interesting vegetation, so many birds, island foxes!

Hiking round the world!

The cliffs trail view

And no sooner do we climb up to the plateau and we spot our first fox, ears perked up, diving with both paws into mouse holes, in search of snacks. Pretty sure, when we left, he was munching on something he caught. From the clifftop trail, we also spotted a pod of seals bobbing along in the water, and a line of pelicans flying by on the way to their rocky perches.

Seals floating in the waves

Trail on the island

We hike to Cavern Point, where the ravens are friendly with anyone who stops, hoping to share in a snack.

Old sheep paths turned nature trails

Bird in the dry grasses

We continue along the coast to Potato Cove, named because it "has the shape of a potato". We pause for here for lunch, smushed PB&J, which the ravens seem WAY too interested in!

After lunch, we switch trails, returning via the valley to Scorpion Cove, where we landed this morning. We spot lizards scurrying from their spots on the eroded limestone.

We enter the eucalyptus-lined campground, the scent permeating the late afternoon air. With the pit toilets, water taps and "Fox Boxes" to protect food, it seems like a really nice, tranquil place to camp. Might be worth looking into for a future trip to this corner of the world. 

Curiously, we watch a couple of desert foxes investigating each of the boxes, one even taking the time to lick the top in case some food residue remained. We make our way all the way down the valley and back to the beach, basking in the sun while we wait for the return trip to shore. This island is lovely, so peaceful, so isolated, but as far as a day trip goes, I am ready to be back on the main land and in the comfort of my campervan.

It's already getting dark when we finally return to Ventura, so I decide we should scrap the idea of trying to find an isolated BLM campsite in the dark, and instead research more "bright" options along our path. We are heading further north still, hoping to make it to Pinnacles National Park tomorrow, so a safe and well-lit spot to spend a comfortable night will be fine. All of nature's beauty will await us in the park. We settle on a Rest Area about an hour away, where we pull into a spot, put up our shades and crash. All that sun and wind can be really tiring - sleep comes up to meet us fast.